JP3550719B2 - Printer with built-in rotary cutter - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial applications]
The present invention relates to a printer provided with a rotary cutter.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, two methods have been used to cut a running strip of paper using a rotary cutter. One of them is to stop the running of the band paper and rotate the rotary cutter once when the cutting position of the band paper comes to the cutter.In this method, the axis of the rotary cutter moves in the running direction of the band paper. As long as it is perpendicular to the band, the cut end of the band-shaped paper is perpendicular to the running direction of the band (parallel to the paper width). Another method is to stop the running of the band paper even if the cutting position of the band paper comes to the cutter, and to rotate the rotary cutter once while it is running. Since the rotary cutter requires a large force to simultaneously cut the entire paper width, the fixed blade is straight and the rotary blade has a spiral shape slightly inclined from the axial direction of the rotary shaft. For this reason, the cutting of the band-shaped paper proceeds from one end of the paper width, but as described above, since the rotary blade of the rotary cutter is helical, the paper is fixed on both the left and right sides other than the portion currently cut in the paper width direction. It is possible to travel forward through the gap between the blade and the rotary blade. For this reason, when the strip is cut with a rotary cutter while it is running, the cut end is slightly inclined from the right angle to the running direction of the strip, and the paper cut to a predetermined size has a slightly crimped shape than the correct rectangle. .
[0003]
The above-described method of temporarily stopping the traveling paper to cut the paper is such that the cut end is parallel to the paper width direction of the band-shaped paper, and the cut paper becomes a correct rectangle, but the traveling paper is cut at the position of the cutter. When the machine comes to a stop, the running of the paper is stopped, and the running is resumed after the cutting is completed. Efficiency does not increase. On the other hand, the method of cutting while the belt-shaped paper is running is efficient because the operation of the entire apparatus such as a printer is continuous, so it is efficient, but there is a problem that each cut piece of paper becomes diamond-shaped. .
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The cutting operation is performed by the printer without stopping the running paper by the rotary cutter so that the cutting line is parallel to the paper width even when the running speed changes, and the cutting position in the flow direction is also a predetermined position.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The whole of the rotary cutter unit is rotatably supported by an axis perpendicular to the running surface of the band paper to be cut , passing through the center in the blade width direction of the blade edge of the fixed blade of the rotary cutter, and running the band paper. In accordance with the speed, a difference in flow direction displacement is given to both ends of the rotary cutter to tilt the rotary cutter, and the timing of inputting a cutter operation command signal is corrected.
[0006]
[Action]
The torsion angle of the rotary blade in the effective width of the rotary cutter, that is, the rotation angle from the start to the end of cutting of the cutter is θ (deg).
The driving rotation speed of the cutter rotary blade is η (rpm),
Paper feed speed V (mm / min),
X:
When the cutter is to time _{T 0} required for effective width cut _{T 0 [θ / 360η] (} min) becomes slant cutting correction control may be equal to the distance VT ₀ the paper advances between the X time _{T 0.} That is, X = VT ₀ = θV / 360η (mm)
The flow direction cutting position control, the distance V that the paper advances between the sum of the delay time T ₁ and T _0/2 to the cutting start from the input of cutter actuation command signals _{[T 1 + (T 0/} 2)] The signal input timing may be advanced by the number of pulses corresponding to [T ₁ + T _0/2 ).
[0007]
【Example】
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a rotary cutter in a printer using Z-fold paper. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an outer casing of the printer, and reference numeral 2 denotes a Z-fold paper used. This paper is drawn into the printer from the right side of the outer casing 1 and cut out from the left side of the outer casing 1 to a predetermined size and comes out. This cutting length is a length that equally divides between the two folds of the Z-folded paper, and the cutting position needs to include the fold of the Z-folded paper. The control mechanism for this will be described later. Reference numeral 3 denotes a paper feed roller, and reference numeral 4 denotes a platen roller, both of which are driven by a common drive motor 5 via a timing belt 6 at the same peripheral speed. A stepping motor is used as the driving motor. The print head 7 is arranged on the platen roller. A rotary cutter unit 8 is arranged behind the print head 7 (downstream of the paper advance, left side in the figure). The rotary cutter unit includes a fixed blade 81, a rotary blade 82, a motor 83 for driving the rotary blade, and a bracket 84 that couples these components. The bottom surface of the bracket 84 is pivotally attached to the bottom surface of the housing 1 by pins 9. The entire rotary cutter unit can rotate about the pin 9 as an axis. Reference numeral 10 denotes a linear motor for rotating the rotary cutter unit, and the inclination of the axis of the rotary cutter in the paper width direction is set according to the paper feed speed by controlling the linear motor. Reference numeral 11 denotes a mark sensor which detects a mark attached to each sheet of printed matter on the sheet 2. A predetermined time after the mark detection signal is output from the mark sensor 11, the rotary cutter operates. Needless to say, this predetermined time is a time until the trailing edge of the printed matter to which the mark belongs comes to the cutting position.
[0008]
The predetermined time will be described in more detail.
In order to accurately cut the predetermined trailing edge of the printed matter to which the mark belongs even when the paper feed speed changes, the input timing of the cutter operation command signal must be controlled according to the paper feed speed.
Assuming that the time required from the receipt of the cutter operation command signal until the intersection between the fixed blade edge and the rotary blade edge reaches point O in the center of the cutter width is Tc, Tc is the fixed blade edge and the rotary blade edge after the cutter operation command signal is input. There is a half of the time required for the delay time _{T 1} and the cutter effective width cut to begin to cross _(T 0/2) is the sum of _{Tc = T 1 + (T 0} /2).
In FIG. 3, a period from when the mark sensor detects the mark (3) on the paper to when the trailing edge of the printed matter to which the mark (3) belongs, that is, the middle point of the perforation B passes through the middle point O of the fixed blade. the number of pulses of the clock pulse and N _1.
The mark sensor when the number of pulses and N ₂ to be input during the time Tc to control mark ▲ 3 ▼ after detecting the (N 1 _{-N 2)} as cutter actuation command signal after pulse number counting up out This allows the sheet to be cut at the perforation. That is, the cutting position in the paper flow direction can be accurately controlled.
Next, diagonal cut correction control, which is another important control when cutting while the paper is running, will be described with reference to FIG.
When the rotary cutter performs the cutting operation, the intersection of the fixed blade edge and the rotary blade edge moves from the cutting start point P to the cutting end point Q.
The torsion angle of the rotary blade in the effective width of the rotary cutter, that is, the rotation angle from the start to the end of cutting of the cutter is θ (deg), the driving rotation speed of the cutter rotary blade is η (rpm), and the paper feed speed is V (mm / min). the cut correction displacement amount X, the cutter is when the time _{T 0} required for effective width cut _{T 0 = θ / 360η (min} ).
Also, the oblique cutting correction displacement X may be set to the distance VT ₀ that the sheet travels during the time T ₀ .
That is, X = VT ₀ = θV / 360η (mm)
When cutting is performed while the paper is running at the paper speed V, the displacement line X at both ends of the cutter is given by the linear motor 10 so that the cutting line becomes parallel to the width direction.
Therefore, by controlling the timing of inputting the cutter cutting command signal and the amount of oblique cutting correction displacement corresponding to the sheet speed V, cutting can be performed to a predetermined size.
[0009]
FIG. 2 is a front view of the rotary cutter unit. Since the plunger of the linear motor 10 is connected to the side surface of the bracket 84, and the bracket is rotatable by the pin 9 at the center of the width of the rotary cutter, the orientation of the rotary cutter in the horizontal plane is adjusted by the reciprocation of the plunger of the linear motor. Is done. The rotary cutter stops by one rotation according to the operation command. FIG. 2 shows the stopped state. The rotary blade 82 is helically attached to the shaft.
[0010]
FIG. 3 is a plan view for explaining the relationship among the sheet 2, the print head 7, the rotary cutter, and the sensor 11. Since the print head 7 is a thermal line head, it is shown by one straight line in the figure. The mark sensor 11 includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and the light of the light emitting element irradiates the paper surface, and the light receiving element receives the reflected light. Since the reflected light decreases while the mark is being detected, the front edge of the mark is detected when the output level of the light receiving element falls below the reference value. The falling edge of the output of the light receiving element is pulsed to become a mark detection signal.
In the case of a thermal printer, it is necessary to change the printing speed depending on the temperature. The printing speed is low at low temperatures and high at high temperatures. That is, since the paper traveling speed is switched according to the temperature, the control circuit detects the temperature of the print head 7 to set the paper feeding speed and drives the linear motor 10 to set the amount of tilt of the rotary cutter.
[0011]
Although the above embodiment uses a linear motor to alter the-out inclination of the rotary cutter unit, which is not limited to linear motor to rotate the feed screw by a pulse motor and a nut and a rotary cutter is screwed into the screw A connected structure may be used.
[0013]
Further, the present invention can have the following modified embodiments. One of them is that the paper traveling speed can be switched stepwise in several steps, the inclination of the rotary cutter unit is determined for each of the plurality of paper traveling speeds, and one of the several stages of the paper traveling speed is selected. At this time, the rotary cutter unit is also set to the inclination angle corresponding to the paper traveling speed. With this configuration, there is no need for a calculation unit for calculating the inclination angle of the rotary cutter corresponding to the arbitrarily set paper traveling speed. The other is to adjust both the inclination angle of the rotary cutter unit and its rotation speed according to the paper traveling speed. In this mode, the paper traveling speed is divided into a plurality of ranges, one inclination angle of the rotary cutter unit is set for each of the divisions, and the rotation speed of the rotary cutter is set for an arbitrary paper traveling speed in the division. Can be adjusted.
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, accurate cutting can be performed without stopping the running of the paper, so that the paper can be cut efficiently. When an apparatus provided with a rotary cutter is a printer, a preceding page may be cut during printing of a certain page depending on the length of one print pattern. In the case of the present invention, the cutting can be performed without stopping the running of the paper, so that the printing can be continued during the cutting, the printing efficiency is improved, and the printing unevenness does not occur. The present invention changes the inclination angle of the rotary cutter in accordance with the paper traveling speed, and the case where the paper traveling speed is 0, that is, the case where the paper is stopped and cut is included in the operation range of the printer of the present invention. Is zero. In other words, since the present invention does not fix the inclination angle of the rotary cutter, the cutting edge can be made perpendicular to the paper width even when the paper is stopped and cut, for example, when only one sheet is printed. is there.
In addition, since the center of rotation of the rotary cutter unit is positioned at the center of the width of the cutter blade, even if the rotary cutter driving motor is mounted on the rotary cutter unit, the amount of movement of the motor when rotating the rotary cutter is small. There is no problem in connection, and the dynamic load of a mechanism such as a linear motor for rotating the rotary cutter unit is reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the rotary cutter unit of the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the relationship between a mark sensor, a print head, a rotary cutter, and the like according to the embodiment.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 housing 2 Z-fold paper 3 feed roller 4 platen roller 5 drive motor 6 timing belt 7 print head 8 rotary cutter unit 9 pin 10 linear motor 81 fixed blade 82 rotary blade 83 cutter drive motor 84 bracket

Claims (1)

In a printer having a built-in rotary cutter unit that performs a cutting operation while the paper is running, the printer is positioned on a perpendicular to the paper running surface passing through the center in the blade width direction of the blade tip line of the fixed blade of the rotary cutter, and a direction orthogonal to the paper running surface. The fulcrum pin is provided, and the cutter unit is rotatable about the fulcrum pin as a center of rotation in the travel plane of the paper, and the cutting edge of the fixed blade of the rotary cutter is perpendicular to the travel direction of the paper according to the travel speed of the paper. The rotary cutter unit is equipped with a motor for driving the rotary cutter, and a mechanism for rotating the rotary cutter about the pin is provided. To give a displacement difference in the flow direction to both ends of the cutter unit to automatically perform oblique cutting correction, and Rotary cutter built-in printer, characterized in that so as to control the cutting position of the paper flow direction by correcting the timing in synchronization with the paper speed inputs a cut instruction signal to the cutter unit.

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